


What Is The Moon Without The Sun?

by Itsuptomenow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Dark, Eventual Romance, F/M, Older Man/Younger Woman, Romantic Fluff, Teen Romance, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-06-16 12:43:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15437313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itsuptomenow/pseuds/Itsuptomenow
Summary: Autumn Longbottom is in her sixth year at Hogwarts. Many new adventures await her, but the one thing she never expected to find was love.





	1. Those Yellow Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. This is a story I've been writing in my head for a very long time. I'm not always good at getting my ideas out into words, but I really want to try and flesh this one out. Some people might not like it because it involves an older man with an underage girl. Just know this is no reflection on me as a person or my beliefs, for it is just fiction. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope you enjoy.

The Hogwarts Express slowly came to a stop as it pulled into the station. With a final whistle from the train, the students slowly began to make their way off the train. Many of them were casually chatting away, while others walked quietly huddled together. The look of concern displayed on one girl’s face. Her long, bright red hair hung down in a loose bun. She finally turned to the boy next to her.

“That was...” She started to say.

“Scary?” The boy replied.

“Yeah, Neville, scary.”

Autumn Longbottom walked side by side with her little cousin on their way up to the carriages. When they reached them, they found one with their friends already sitting inside.

“How are you feeling, Harry?” Autumn asked as she took a seat across from him.

“I’m okay. My head hurts a little.” He said with an uneasy smile.

“Those dementors sure are nasty.” Ron added.

Everyone shook their heads in agreement.

“I can’t believe they made their way onto the train!” Hermione said with a huff.

“Me either.” Said Neville shaking his head.

Autumn put a comforting hand on his arm.

“So who was that man on the train with you guys?” Autumn asked.

“That was Professor Lupin. He’s the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.” Hermione said with a confident nod.

 _The new DADA teacher?_ Autumn thought to herself.

“Can we talk about something else?” Harry finally asked.

They began happily chatting about the feast to come and what classes they were all taking.

Autumn was in her sixth year at Hogwarts. Some of the other students thought it was strange that she spent so much time with the younger kids. Autumn and her cousin, Neville had always been close though. He was like a little brother to her. He was even a Gryffindor just like her. After the incident with Neville’s parents, he and Autumn started to spend a lot more time together. Until she received her letter for Hogwarts. After that they would try to spend as much of her summers together.

 

The students finally reached the school and made their way into the Great Hall. Everyone took their places at the tables with their houses and waited patiently while the sorting ceremony took place. After all the new students joined their respective houses, Dumbledore began his speech. He talked about the dementors on the train and how they were currently searching for Sirius Black, the mass murderer. Shortly after he introduced Remus Lupin as the new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Autumn’s eyes gazed up at Lupin as everyone began to clap for him. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept in years. His clothes were rather old and tattered. She continued to stare when it appeared he was making eye contact with her. A small smile spread across his lips. Autumn felt her face go flush. She quickly turned away and stared down at her hands.

It wasn’t until everyone at her table was standing and shouting enthusiastically that she realized she had spaced out.

“What’s going on?” She whispered to Neville.

“Hagrid’s the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher!” He said pumping his fists into the air before letting out a loud “Wooo!”

Autumn looked back up at the stage with a smile and joined in the celebration.

 

Later that night, after the feast had died down and everyone had made their way to their house towers, Autumn was in the girl’s dormitory unpacking her things. She changed out of her uniform and climbed into bed. It had been a long day and she was ready to get some rest.

Not long after drifting to sleep she began tossing and turning. With a jolt she sat upright in bed, panting heavily. She could feel she had begun to sweat. She glanced around the room to see everyone else was asleep.

_Must have been a bad dream._

She kicked the covers off and laid back down.

Finally when she awoke, the room was bright with the morning sun. She got dressed and made her way down to the common room.

“Sleep well?” A familiar voice asked.

Autumn turned to see her good friend Oliver Wood.

“Yeah pretty alright, you?” She said before pulling him into an embrace.

“Not too bad. Still nothing like my bed at home.”  
Autumn laughed, and the two of them made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

 

The first day of classes went by quickly. Autumn especially enjoyed her DADA lesson. It was nice to finally have a teacher that knew what they were talking about. Considering that Professor Quirrell was being inhabited by Voldemort, and Professor Lockhart was basically a hack, it felt nice to learn under someone knowledgeable.

The rest of the day came and went, and finally Autumn was settling into bed for the night. She let out a big sigh before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Suddenly Autumn found her outside. She wasn’t sure how she got there or what she was doing. The moon was bright and high in the sky. She was walking along the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

_What is going on? How did I get out here?  
_

She felt an unseen force pulling her towards the trees. She knew it was dangerous to enter the forest, especially at night, but something was calling to her. She continued her path on the outer edge of the forest when suddenly she heard a branch snap. She stopped in her tracks and sucked in a deep breath. Another branch snapping could be heard from deep inside the trees. Autumn tried not to look into the darkness of the forest, but she couldn't pull her eyes away. Between the trees she could make out two glowing orbs. They were big and yellow. Autumn tried to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. She felt a weird burning sensation, as if someone was staring into her soul. That’s when she realized the yellow orbs were eyes.

With a loud gasp Autumn jolted upright in her bed.

“Shhh!” One of the girls in the dormitory hushed her.

Autumn took a big gulp of air. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her body was covered in sweat. She sat on the edge of her bed for a while, starring out the window. She could she the forest from where she was.

_What the hell kind of nightmare was that?_

Finally when her eyes felt too heavy to keep open any longer, Autumn laid back and fell asleep. She slept through the rest of the night peacefully.


	2. What Are Nightmares Made Of?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Autumn's dreams continue to haunt her night after night, will she ever figure out their true meaning?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is definitely longer than I intended it to be, so bare with me please. I'm trying to really flesh out the ideas I have and I want to make it as clear as possible where the story is going. Please enjoy.  
> Also I got the information about dream meanings from: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/ just to avoid any plagiarism issues.

Over the course of the next few weeks Autumn continued to have the same nightmare. It always ended with her waking up in a cold sweat. Finally one night, after being jarred awake, she made her way down to the common room. The fire was still quietly crackling. She sat down on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest.

_Why am I having these dreams? What do they mean?_

Exhaustion rushed over her suddenly and she began to sob. She knew deep down they were just dreams, but the lack of sleep was starting to get to her. She sat in the common room until she could see the sun coming up through the windows. She went back upstairs to get ready for her classes.

As she made her way into the Great Hall, she saw Oliver waving to her and motioning for her to join him.

“Autumn, are you okay?” Oliver asked as she sat down next to him.

“Yeah I’m fine.”  
  
“Are you sure? You look really out of it.”  
  
She let out a loud sigh and put her face in her hands.

“I’m sorry, that was rather rude of me,” Oliver began to rub her back, “I’m just worried about you. You seem more and more distant lately.”  
  
Finally she looked up at him.

“I just keep having these reoccurring nightmares. They’re really strange and I’m not sure what they mean. But I don’t really feel like talking about it right now.”

He grabbed her shoulder gently.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to.” He gave her a reassuring smile and turned back to his breakfast.

They both ate in silence for a while.

“Hey, I have an idea.” Oliver said finally.

“Oh?” Autumn mumbled through a full mouth.

“You have Professor Lupin today right?”

She nodded her head.

“Why don’t you talk to him after class? Maybe he can help.”

Autumn starred at him for a moment.

“I mean, you don’t have to. I just heard from some of the other students that he was very insightful.”

Autumn pondered this idea for the rest of breakfast.

“Yeah maybe you’re right.” She finally said as everyone was starting to leave for their morning classes.

Oliver smiled at her.

“Good luck!” He shouted as they went their separate ways in the hall.

 

Autumn’s first class went by slowly. Professor Snape was in a particularly crabby mood. Everyone had noticed since Professor Lupin had taken the DADA position that Snape had become more ill-tempered. Snapping more often at the students, sometimes not even giving anyone a chance to answer. Autumn was fairly gifted in potions so he seemed to cut her a bit of slack. It was hard to watch the other students endure his wraith though.

Finally Potions was over and she made her way to Lupin’s room. She took her seat and waited for class to begin. Today they were learning more about nonverbal spells and how to cast them. The nights Autumn couldn’t sleep she had been practicing them in the common room. Her commitment was starting to show.

“Great work!” Lupin said as she successfully cast a disarming spell on the wooden dummy in the room.

Autumn tried to keep herself from blushing as she smiled proudly. The rest of class passed quickly before Lupin announced “I think that’s enough for today.”

All the students began packing up their books and heading out of the classroom while Autumn lingered behind. Lupin was organizing some books on a shelf when he turned his head to see Autumn standing at his desk.

“Ah, miss Longbottom, is there something I can help you with?”

“Well.” She looked down at the desk for a moment, unsure if this was really the right thing to do.

Lupin could sense her uneasiness and came around from the desk to lean against it.

“It’s not related to class is it?”

Autumn was taken aback by his question.

“I, uh, how did you know?” She stammered.

Lupin smiled softly.

“I figured if it was related to the lesson you wouldn’t be afraid to ask. You’re too inquisitive to not want to ask those kind of questions.”

Autumn let out a small, nervous chuckle. She then cleared her throat and looked up at Lupin. She found his green eyes starring at her, soft and patiently. She could feel her face start to get warm.

“Well,” She finally spit out, “I’ve been having these dreams lately, nightmares really. It’s been making it very difficult to sleep. My friend suggested maybe you could help me figure out what they meant.”

She shyly shifted her gaze to the floor.

“Nightmares, you say?,” Lupin said curiously, “Hmm.”

He thought for a long moment before moving back around the desk.

“Dream interpretation is normally more of Professor Trelawney’s thing, but.” He paused as he ran his hand along the bookcase.

“Ah, here it is.” His hand stopped on a thick green book that he plucked off the shelf. He dusted it off and walked back over to Autumn

“Tell me about your dream.”

“Well, it’s hard to explain because not much happens. First I’m outside at night and then I feel an unseen forcing pulling me towards the Forbidden Forest. I always feel a sense of panic, but I’m never sure why. Then there’s a sound from the woods, like something walking on fallen branches. And then.” She paused.

Autumn looked up at Lupin again to see he was still patiently looking at her. He smiled at her.

“I, then,” Her words got trapped in her throat for a moment, “There’s two big yellow eyes starring at me from the trees. Then I wake up.”

Lupin’s face contorted into an inquiring expression. His left hand rubbed his chin for a moment while he thought. Then he opened the book in his hand and skimmed through it. Quietly he read to himself. Autumn began to feel awkward from the silence in the room.

“Well here it says ‘To dream that you are in or walking through the forest signifies a transitional phase.’” He tapped his finger on the page.

He began to flip through the pages before stopping again and reading silently to himself.

“And here it says ‘To have a dream that takes place at night represents some major setbacks and obstacles in achieving your goals. You are being faced with an issue that is not so clear cut.’”

He looked up at her for a moment to study her reactions. Autumn stood there thoughtfully.

_I’m not really sure what any of this means._ She thought to herself.

His gaze shifted back to the book as he flipped through it again. This time he paused for a long moment.

“Uh, Professor?” Autumn finally said in an attempt to get his attention.

“These eyes you spoke of, are they attached to anything? Can you make out a person or animal in the dark?” He didn’t look up from the book.

“Not that I can remember.” Autumn replied.

“Interesting.”

“Why? What does it say about it?”

“’To dream about someone else's eyes indicate an emotional or intimate connection with that person. It also signifies a mutual understanding.’” Lupin closed the book and looked up at her.

“Oh, well that seems strange.” She met his gaze before quickly looking away.

“I hope that helps some. Is there anything else I can help you with?” He set the book down on the desk and leaned back against the desk.

“No, that was all. Thank you Professor.” Autumn began to turn.

“Don’t be afraid to come to me if you ever need to talk Autumn. I know a lot of the students think us professors are only here to teach the mandated lessons, but we were your age once, too.”

Autumn turned back to see Lupin was smiling at her.

“Thank you, sir, I will keep that in mind.”

He nodded at her and made his way around the desk again.

“Oh, before you go, take this with you.” He quickly scribbled on a spare piece of parchment.

Autumn approached the desk and took the parchment from his hand.

“I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble with your next Professor.”

Autumn glanced down and saw the parchment said _“Please excuse Miss Longbottom for being late to class. I needed to go over a few things with her.” - Professor Lupin._

“Thank you.” She said before making her way to her next class.


	3. Long Days and Restless Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With more sleepless nights on the way, will Autumn ever find the answers she's looking for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first starting writing this fic in my head a few years back, I was unaware that Hogwarts started school in September. Unfortunately this messes up my original time line a bit so I have to rush things a tad and cut some stuff out so it can fit with the canon timeline. The story will still work out great though, so no worries ^-^

It was mid October and the nightmares hadn’t let up. In fact they had gotten worse. Each night the dream went the same, but slowly they were becoming longer. The time spent by the trees was longer. The pair of eyes stared deep into her soul for longer. The eyes even began to move closer before Autumn would awaken. Most nights she’d stay awake for as long as possible, until exhaustion over took her and she’d pass out in bed. But the dreams still came and she still woke covered in sweat. The mental exhaustion was beginning to manifest itself physically. Autumn had dark circles under her eyes that seem to grow worse and worse every day. She was having a hard time concentrating in her classes and slowly her grades were starting to slip. Even Professor Snape had begun to notice, but per usual, he had zero sympathy for her.

 

One morning at the breakfast table, Autumn was half awaken and nodding off into her bowl of porridge.

“Autumn!” Neville said as he shook her shoulder gently.

“Huh?!” She snapped upright looking around frantically.

A few of the students from the next table over began snickering.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Neville broke into a whisper, “but you were starting to drool into your food.”

Autumn sighed and wiped the bit of dribble from her chin.

“Thanks Neville.”

“Are you okay? I’ve been really worried about you.”

“Not really, honestly. I don’t know if I can take much more of this no sleeping thing.”

“There’s got to be a reason for these dreams. Or at least a way to get some restful sleep.” Neville starred at his plate, thinking hard.

“Maybe, I don’t know. I hope so.” Autumn sighed again and hurriedly finished her porridge.

 

Potions class was a disaster that day. If something could go wrong, it did go wrong. As a result, Autumn’s Felix felicis blew up in her face.

“Tsk tsk, I’m very disappointed in you Longbottom.” Snape said in his low, monotone voice.

Autumn choked back the tears she could feel forming in her eyes. She wiped her face on the sleeve of her sweater and waited patiently for class to end.

As soon as they were dismissed, Autumn made her way to the second floor girl’s lavatory. It was empty when she entered, and Moaning Myrtle surprisingly wasn’t around. Autumn made her way into a stall and locked the door. She sank down to the floor and began loudly sobbing. All the stress had been building up for weeks and she felt like she was loosing her mind.

_I don’t understand. What is happening?_

Her sobs became so violent she felt her stomach turn. She hovered over the toilet and began to dry-heaving.

“Get it together Autumn. There’s no time for this nonsense.” She said aloud to herself.

She took in a few deep soothing breaths and began to calm herself down. She wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly exited the stall. To her horror another girl had entered the lavatory. They made awkward eye contact before Autumn quickly made her way to Lupin’s classroom.

She knew at this point she was late. The thought of disappointing another teacher made her heart sink. She quietly entered the room and found the nearest empty seat. Lupin was already beginning the lesson. He glanced up at her from his desk when she entered, but addressed the class instead.

“Now, who can tell me what an Inferiusis?” Lupin asked as he slowly stood from his desk and began to write 'Inferius' on the board.

No one raised their hands.

“Come on now, I’m sure more than one of you has been skimming through your books.”

The students glanced back and forth at one another, uncertain of what the answer was.

“Miss Longbottom, care to give it a shot?” Lupin turned from the chalkboard and looked at her wishfully.

“Oh, uh,” She felt her face become flushed, “It’s, um, a dead body reanimated.”

“Yes, very good,” a beaming smile appeared on his face, “Now can anyone tell me what branch of magic is used to do this?”

Finally a young man towards the front of the class raised his hand.

“Necromancy!” He shouted before Lupin could call on him.

“Ah, good, thank you.”

 

As the lesson went on, Autumn tried to muster all her strength to keep her eyes open. Lupin asked the class to silently read the entry about Inferi in their books. He slowly made his way around the room observing the students. As he passed Autumn’s desk, he discreetly dropped on a note in front of her. She glanced up as he walked past, but he didn’t acknowledge her. She picked up the note and unfolded it under her desk.

“ _Please see me after class.”_

She felt sick. There was nothing Autumn hated more than doing poorly in school, but there was something especially disheartening about letting Professor Lupin down.

Soon enough Lupin dismissed the class, but Autumn didn’t move from her seat.

“Autumn, are you feeling okay?” Lupin said approaching her desk.

She looked up at him, trying to choke back the tears she thought might begin to overflow from her eyes. Lupin could see the worry in her eyes and he sat down at the desk in front of her.

“I can tell something’s wrong. Your grades have been slowly slipping over the past few weeks. I know you’re an intelligent young woman.” He paused for a moment.

She sucked in a breath still fighting the urge to cry.

“I’m sorry, Professor.” Was all she managed to get out.

Lupin placed his hand gently on hers.

“There’s no need to be sorry. I just want to know if you’re okay.” His voice was soft and understanding.

She could feel his gaze burning into her and the touch of his hand is what sent her over the edge. The dam had finally broken and the tears began to stream down her face.

“I’m just,” she sputtered, the words getting caught in her throat inbetween sobs, “I’m just so tired.”

She put her face in her hands to try and hide as she continued to ugly cry. Lupin looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.

“Are you still having those nightmares?” He asked softly.

She nodded her head ‘yes’.

“Perhaps it’s time you spoke to Madam Pomfrey.”

Autumn finally looked up from her hands and her crying started to slow.

“Do you think she can help?”

“If I remember correctly, she does have a potion for dreamless sleep.”

A slight anger over took Autumn, but she didn’t say anything. Her brow furrowed but she sniffled and wiped her eyes. It was almost as if Lupin could sense the sudden change in her mood.

“I’m sorry Autumn, I wish I had thought of it sooner,” he paused, “I suppose I had hoped that discussing the meaning of your dream would have helped you find some peace.”

She looked deep into his eyes. She could see he was searching hers for forgiveness.

“I’s okay, Professor Lupin.”

She tried to give him a reassuring smile. He smiled back at her.

“Come, let’s go to her now and I’ll let the rest of your teachers know you’ll be in the hospital wing for the rest of the day.”

Lupin began to stand, but Autumn protested.

“No, sir, I really need to go to my classes. I’m already slipping and I can’t afford...”

But Lupin raised his hand to cut her off.

“I won’t hear it. You are clearly mentally and physically exhausted. Don’t worry about the back lash. I will smooth things over with your teachers.”

He gave her a stern look as if to say no more objections. He offered her his hand and she took it.

"Thank you." She said giving him a tired, but appreciative look.

He helped her up from her desk and gently placed his arm around her shoulder. Together the two of them made their way to the hospital wing. Lupin pulled Madam Pomfrey aside and in hushed whispers explained to her what was going on. She glanced at Autumn and then gave Lupin a firm nod.

“Get some rest.” He said tenderly before making his way back to his room.

Madam Pomfrey escorted Autumn to a cot. Autumn sat while Madam Pomfrey shuffled through a cabinet, grabbed a small bottle containing a purple liquid, and poured some of it into a cup.

“Here you are, dear. Drink this.” She handed Autumn the glass.

Autumn drank in down in one big gulp and handed the empty glass back to Madam Pomfrey.

“Now lay down and close your eyes, dear. You’ll be asleep in no time.”

Autumn laid back and Madam Pomfrey gently patted her shoulder. And she was right, Autumn fell asleep almost instantly. And at last, it was a dreamless sleep.


	4. Teacher's Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn gets to spend a little quality time with her favorite teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter, just to fill in the gap of some time lapses and to establish more of a relationship between Autumn and Lupin <3

It was the first week of November and Autumn had been nightmare free for a few weeks. Her grades were back up and she was feeling better than before.

That Monday after Lupin had dismissed class, he approached Autumn.

"Autumn, could I trouble you for some help?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." She felt her face flush slightly as she smiled at him. 

They waited for the rest of the students to clear out before Lupin closed the classroom door. She shifted nervously in the place she was standing. Usually she came to Lupin for help, she couldn't possibly imagine what he could need her help with. 

"Wait right here." He said as he disappeared behind a curtain at the back of the room.

After a moment of some shuffling noises and a few quiet but audible grunts, Lupin came back out from behind the curtain dragging a large chest.

"Uh, Professor?" Autumn said in a confused tone.

He set it next to the staircase in the room and began moving some of the desks away.

"Wand at the ready." Was all he said. 

Autumn fumbled for her wand. Lupin hunched over the chest and began unlatching it. He placed his hands on the lid to hold it shut.

"Are you ready?" Lupin asked

"For what exactly?" She said, her hand slightly shaking

Lupin only answered with a smirk before lifting the lid. Slowly a large cloud of pitch black began creeping out of the chest. 

"Professor Lupin..." Autumn said, fear cracked in her voice. 

She began to back away. Lupin made his way to her side of the room and stood behind her. He softly gripped her shoulders and whispered, "You've got this."

Autumn was overwhelmed with a sense of assurance. She knew Lupinwould never let anything bad happen to her. As the black mist crept closer, she realized what she needed to do.

"Riddikulus!" And with a flourish of her wand the boggart turned into a sparkling piece of sea glass and retreated back into the chest.

"Wonderful!" He gave her shoulders and encouraging squeeze beforerunning to close the lid but he wasn’t fast enough. The boggart had reemerged.

It hung high in the air in front of Lupin as a large white orb. It almost looked like the moon. Lupin quickly cast the charm and wrangled the boggart back into the chest.

"Thank you for your help." He said while he did the latches. 

"Uh, you're welcome," Autumn stared across the room at him, "What exactly did I help you with?"

"I'm giving the third years a lesson on boggarts later this week. I hadn't had a chance to see it in action."

Autumn smiled. It felt nice getting to have these private moments with Lupin. He was someone she really looked up to.

"Well I suppose I've probably gotten you in trouble again with Professor Trelawney." Lupin said with a soft chuckle.

"I don’t even think she notices when I'm not there."

Lupin looked at Autumn and they both began to laugh.

"Ah, yes, she is a bit absent minded." He said with amusement.

Lupin made his way to his desk and scribbled on a piece of parchment. He walked back over to Autumn and handed it to her. When she took it from his hand, her fingers gently brushed against his.

He smiled down at her and she felt her face go pink.

"Enjoy the rest of your day." He said before turning back towards the desk.

Autumn left with a hurried pace. When she got down the corridor she stopped for a moment. She could still feel her cheeks burning. She collected herself and made her way to Divination.

 

Later that week at dinner, Autumn was listening to her cousin and his friends talk about their Boggart lesson.

“It was nice to get some hands-on experience.” Hermione said excitedly.

“I wish we would have had a teacher like Lupin in my third year. He showed me the boggart just the other day.” Autumn said.

“Did he really?” Neville said slightly wide eyed.

“What did yours turn into?” Harry asked.

“A big black cloud. I’m not particularly fond of the dark.” Autumn replied.

“Well that’s better than Neville’s.” Ron said with a mouth full of food.

“Why what was yours?” Autumn said turning to him.

His face grew pink with embarrassment. “Professor Snape.” He said softly.

Autumn smiled and put her arm around him.

“Don’t let Snape get to you. He’s just a miserable person.” Autumn shook him gently before letting go.

Neville gave her a small thankful smile and they continued to chat for the rest of dinner.


	5. Full Moon Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Autumn receives some interesting information, will her opinion on a certain someone change?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize, I'm terrible with ending chapters so if it seems sudden or weird it's because I don't know what I'm doing.

The school year continued to flash before Autumn’s eyes. Before she knew it, it was the last weekend in November. That Friday evening, Autumn was making her way to the Great Hall for dinner. On her way down the tables she over heard Hermione and Ron bickering.

“Ron, you can’t skip the assignment just because you don’t want to do it.” Hermione said in a heated tone.

“Snape can’t just assign things when he’s filling in for another teacher!” Ron insisted.

“What’s going on you two?” Autumn asked as she took a seat next Hermione.

“Ronald here thinks he doesn’t have to do his homework.” Hermione glanced at him pointedly.

“That’s not it!,” He huffed and looked at Autumn, “Snape filled in for Professor Lupin today and he assigned us homework. Everyone knows when a sub assigns homework you aren’t required to do it.”

Autumn could see that Hermione was growing more and more annoyed.

“Lupin was sick again?” Autumn asked.

Ron shook his head yes.

_I hope he’s okay. He gets sick an awful lot._

“The point is, you can’t just ignore an assignment.” Hermione re-enforced.

“What was the assignment?” Autumn turned to her.

“Two rolls of parchment on werewolves.” Ron scoffed.

“That’s strange.” Autumn mused.

“It’s especially strange because we haven’t even gotten that far in the book yet.” Hermione added.

 

Autumn spent the rest of the night pondering what could possibly be wrong with Lupin. Once a month since the beginning of the school year he had excused himself from classes. She was growing concerned that it might be something serious. Finally she could feel the weight of her eye lids becoming unbearable and she made her way up to bed.

Within minutes of tucking in and closing her eyes, she fell asleep. Unbeknownst to her, she would be receiving a familiar fright.

She found herself standing outside in the middle of the night. Just like the nightmares before. However this time she was more aware of her surroundings. It was bright out for being night time. It was rather chilly. She could see her breath hang in front of her as she exhaled.

Slowly the urge to walk towards to the forest overwhelmed her. The unseen force began to pull her closer. It was so dark in the woods it was hard to see the spaces between the tree trunks. That’s when she heard the familiar sound of twigs snapping. And from the darkness the bright yellow eyes began to shine. She could feel them burning into her, staring deep into her core. As she stood there, the eyes began their journey closer and closer. She sucked in her breath and held it. She wanted so desperately to turn and run, but she couldn’t. She felt tethered to the ground where she stood. She wanted to scream, but the sounds got stuck in her throat. 

The eyes continued to make their way towards her. For a split second she thought she could make out the faint outline of a figure.

It was then she heard a strange howl. It sounded close, but far away at the same time. She wasn’t sure if it was coming from deep within the woods or from the figure creeping towards her. Suddenly her attention snapped up to the sky. The clouds above were shifting and the sky grew brighter. Over the tops of the trees hung a full moon. A strong sense of panic consumed Autumn. In that moment so many thoughts rushed into her head.

Before she could process any of them she heard another twig snap in the woods, but this time it sounded impossibly close. When she looked back in front of her the yellow eyes hung high above her. Slowly the figure finally emerged from the forest. Autumn's breath caught in her throat and she let out a loud gasp.

There before her stood Remus Lupin. His mouth twisted into a devilish smirk.

It was then Autumn shot up right in her bed, panting hard. Her clothes were soaked with sweat and her body shook with fear.

 _It can’t be._ She thought to herself.

She changed into a clean set of clothes and made her way down to the common room. To her surprise she found Harry sitting on the couch in front of the fire.

“Harry?” She said softly.

He turned his head at her voice.

“Oh, hi Autumn.”

“What are you doing down here?” She asked as she took a seat next to him.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

She let out a soft chuckle, “That makes two of us.”

“Did your nightmares return?”

“Yes, it seems they have.” Autumn stared thoughtfully into the fire.

“What is keeping you awake?” She finally asked after a long moment of silence.

“I’ve just been thinking a lot about Sirius Black.”

“Ah, I can see why that would make it hard to sleep.”

Harry let out an awkward laugh. The two of them continued to sit in silence for a while until Autumn realized Harry had fallen asleep beside her. She decided to curl up on the opposite side of the couch and close her eyes.

 

The next morning she awoke to the sound of students bustling around her. When she sat up she saw that Harry had already left. She made her way up to her dormitory and sat on the edge of her bed. She gazed out the window for a long time, thinking about the dream she had the night before.

_I need to speak with him. But how?_

That’s when she came up with a plan.

 

The following week, after the full moon, Autumn found Harry in the courtyard in between classes.

“Harry, can I speak to you somewhere privately?”

The two of them made their way to the far end of the courtyard away from the other students.

“Is everything okay?” Harry asked.

“I need a really big favor from you, Harry.”

“What is it?”

“I need to borrow your cloak.” Autumn looked deep into his eyes hoping he’d understand she wouldn't ask if it wasn't important.

“I...I don’t know.”

“Harry, please.” She pleaded.

“What do you need it for?” He crossed his arms.

“I can’t tell you. I promise it’s nothing bad and I won’t get caught.”

His face contorted while he thought. Finally he let out a sigh.

“Fine. Meet me in the common room at midnight.”

“Thank you so much! I promise I’ll repay you somehow.”

He smiled at the excited look on her face.

“No, don’t worry about it.”


	6. Kiss From A Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn decides she needs to confront Lupin about her dream, but how will he react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the best at filling in the little details so I hope this chapter doesn't seem totally out of place. Please feel free to leave feedback and I hope everyone is enjoying it so far (:

That night at midnight, Autumn quietly made her way down to the common room. Harry was already waiting for her, cloak in hand.

“Harry, you have no idea what this means to me.”

“Please just be careful.” He said as he handed it to her.

“Cross my heart.”

With a smile, Autumn draped the cloak over her body, leaving just her head exposed.

“This is so cool.” She said as she looked down and saw her body was invisible.

“Just hold on to it until you can meet me in private again.”

She nodded and then pulled the cloak over her head.

She slowly made her way out of the common room and into the corridor. She took slow, careful steps, as to not trip on the cloak or make any noise. The halls were dark at night, but her eyes had adjusted enough to make out where she was going. She was nervous. She tried rehearsing in her heard what she would say to Lupin, if he even allowed her into his office. She knew there were many risks involved with what she was doing, but she didn’t care anymore. She needed to be heard.

Finally Autumn made it up to the third floor and to the door of classroom 3C. She hesitated outside for a moment.

_Just breathe._ She thought to herself.

She turned the knob gently and entered the classroom. She crept across the room and up the spiral staircase at the back which led to Lupin’s office. She wasn’t entirely sure he would be there, but she had overheard some students gossiping that he slept in his office.

With one last deep breath she knocked on the door and pulled the cloak off of her head. She heard some shuffling inside the room before the door opened.

“Autumn?” Lupin said in a surprised tone.

“Professor, can we talk?”

He glanced back at the clock on his wall before looking back to her.

“It’s after midnight, you know you shouldn’t be in the halls at night.”

He hesitated then moved aside so she could enter. He shut the door behind her and she dropped the cloak to the floor. Lupin stared at her for a long moment before making his way to a chair behind his desk.

“What is it you needed to talk about Autumn?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat down.

“I’m sorry, Professor Lupin, I know it’s late,” She paused for a moment; She could see he looked tired, “But I had that nightmare again the other night.”

“Oh?” He sounded mildly annoyed.

“Yes, well, it was different this time. There was a visible full moon in the sky. And the figure with the yellow eyes finally made itself visible.”

He leaned forward a little in his chair placing his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands together.

“And what did this figure look like?” His tone almost made it seem like he knew what she was going to say next.

“It...It was you.” The words caught in her throat as she struggled to get them out.

Lupin let out an audible “Hmm” before sitting back in his chair and looking away from her.

“Professor...are you…a werewolf?” Her voice shook.

His gaze shot back to her.

“Autumn, it was just a dream. You shouldn't overthink these things.” He said calmly.

“But, your boggart, it looked like a moon. And Professor Snape assigned the third years an essay on werewolves when you were out sick last week,” She took in a deep breath, “And you get sick every month...always around the time of the full moon.”

Lupin softly chuckled to himself.

“I always knew you were a smart girl, Autumn.” He stood from his seat and turned to look out the window behind his desk.

They stood there in silence, Autumn staring at him hoping she was doing the right thing.

He finally turned to face her again, drew in a breath and said “Yes, I am a werewolf. Not by choice, of course. It happened when I was younger.”

Autumn realized she had been holding her breath and she let it out.

“I don’t care.” She felt the words leave her mouth before she could stop them.

“Oh?,” Lupin laughed again, “Well, I would appreciate it if this stayed between us. I’m not sure most of the other students would feel that way about it.”

“I don’t think most of the other students feel the way I do about you.”

Lupin’s eyes widened for a moment and his mouth pulled into a tight thin line.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Remember when you told me to dream about someone’s eyes means you have an emotional connection with them?” Autumn could feel her heart beginning to pound her chest.

“Yes.”

“Remus,” His name felt foreign coming from her lips, “those eyes were yours. I think I had been repressing how I was feeling and...”

He held his hand up to cut her off and began shaking his head.

“I think you should go back to your dormitory, Miss Longbottom.” He said curtly.

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach at the sound of her last name. 

_Miss Longbottom_

The choking feeling began to build up in her throat.

“Remus, please. I...” She stopped, searching his face.

She knew full well it was wrong and inappropriate, but she had fallen madly in love with him. She had a suspicion that he felt the same way about her.

“I know I’m young, but I can’t help the way I feel for you. I see the way you look at me in class and during meals. You shouldn’t be afraid of how you feel.”

She could see on Lupin's face that he was having an internal conflict. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“We both know this is not an appropriate conversation and you should really get back to your tower.”

He began to make his way around the desk. Autumn stared at him for a long moment, hoping he’d say something else or change his mind, but he didn’t. He picked the cloak up from the floor and handed it to Autumn. She felt her face grow hot and the tears started to trickle down her cheeks. She snatched the cloak from him and wrapped it around her shoulders. She started for the door, trying to fight back the tears, but she let slip an audible sob as she her hand grabbed for the doorknob.

“Wait.” Lupin said with an defeated sigh.

She took her hand off the knob and turned to face him. She could see in his face how tired he was, not just physically, but emotionally. It was clear this wasn’t easy for him.

“You’re right, Autumn. I have developed feelings for you over these past few months. But I know deep down this could get us both in a lot of trouble.”

“I know, but I promise I would never do anything to jeopardize your job.”

He looked at her for what felt like an eternity. She could see on his face he was thinking hard about what to say next.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” She could hear the emotional fatigue in his voice.

Her heart began racing again. This was everything she had been hoping for, but she felt completely paralyzed. Her words escaped her and all she could do was shake her head “yes.”

He looked away from her for a moment, placing a hand over his mouth before quickly pulling it away. Before she could think he crossed the room and placed both his hands on her cheeks. He wiped the tears from them with his thumbs before leaning down to press his lips against hers. His lips were warm against her soft lips. She dropped the cloak and grabbed the chest of his shirt, standing up on her toes to press more into the kiss.

Lupin pulled back after a moment and looked down into Autumn’s eyes. He sighed and smiled. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Now will you please go back to bed?”

She let out a quiet snort, “Yes.”

He pulled her into an embrace, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other softly caressed the back of her head. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Good night, Autumn.” He said as he released her from his arms.

“Good night, Remus.” She smiled up at him one last time before grabbing the cloak and leaving his office.

Covered in the cloak she cautiously made her way back to the Gryffindor tower. When she made it up to the dormitory, she hid Harry’s cloak in her trunk. Autumn changed into her pjs and laid in bed staring up at the canopy of her bed. She couldn’t stop smiling and it felt as though her whole body was tingling. As she began to drift off to sleep, she realize she would have a difficult road ahead of her, but she didn’t care because she knew it would be worth it.


	7. All I Want For Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weeks are flying by now that Autumn has shared her feelings. Will the relationship blossom or is it destine to fail?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at chapter summaries, I'm sorry. Please enjoy this bit of fluff.

Over the next few weeks, Autumn spent as much time with Lupin as she could. Sometimes she would stay after class or find him at the end of his classes. They did everything they could to keep it professional when others were around. Autumn knew she would get expelled and Lupin would lose his job if they got found out. The idea of Lupin losing his job made Autumn feel sick. 

As many times a week as she could, she would sneak out of the Gryffindor tower and make her way to Lupin’s office. Harry was kind enough to let her borrow his invisibility cloak even though he was still weary of why she needed it. Most nights, Autumn and Lupin sat in his office and talked. Some times he would read to her until she was too tired to keep her eyes open. Mostly she just enjoyed his company and she knew he enjoyed hers. She could tell he was reserved about physical affection. He would hug her or kiss her good night, but that was it.

It was the weekend before Autumn would be heading back home for the winter holidays. She was already dreading spending time away from Lupin and the school. She made her way to his office after the school had fallen asleep.

“Right on time.” Lupin said with a big smile as he opened the office door.

“I would never be late to see you.”

She dropped the cloak and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Are you excited to see your parents?” He loosened his grip and looked down at her.

“My dad, yes.” She said quietly.

“What about your mother?”

She stepped away from him avoiding his gaze for a moment.

“Not really.”

“Why not?” He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed it with his thumb.

“She hates me.”

“Hates you? I highly doubt that.”

Autumn looked up at him, a sudden sadness in her grey eyes.

“She’s always hated that I became a witch. She loved my father, but after they got married and had me, it slowly dawned on her that I might not be like her. She’s jealous that I’m closer to my father because we understand each other better.”

Lupin studied her face for a moment.

“That still doesn’t mean she hates you, Autumn. You’re her only child. I’m sure she loves you.”

“Right before my eleventh birthday, before I received my letter from Hogwarts, she whispered in my ear ‘I hope you turn out to be a squib.’ And ever since I started school here, whenever my dad wasn’t around, she would tell me how she hoped I failed and was an embarrassment to the wizarding community.”

She felt hot tears start to well up in her eyes. Lupin quickly grabbed her and pulled her close to him.

“That’s an awful thing to say to your own flesh and blood. I’m so sorry, darling.”

He held her close while she buried her face into his chest. He softly massaged the back of her neck while she gently sobbed. Finally she pulled back and roughly wiped her tears away.

“It’s okay. My father loves me more than anything, and her hate only pushes me to work harder so I can prove her wrong.”

Lupin smiled down at her.

“It definitely shows, you’re one of the top students in your year.”

She smiled back proudly.

“Oh, before I forget, I have something I want you to have.” She began to pulled something out of the front pocket of her sweatshirt.

She handed him a wadded up piece of fabric. Lupin took it in his hands and unfolded it.

“A t-shirt?” He said quizzically.

“It’s my favorite t-shirt. I slept in it last night so it would smell like me. I thought maybe you could hang onto it while I was away for the holidays.”

Lupin held it up to his nose for a moment and smiled.

“Thank you, Autumn. That's very thoughtful.”

He walked to the other side of the room and placed it on the old mattress where he slept. He moved over to a wardrobe and began to rustle around inside it. After a moment he pulled a thin, tan cardigan out.

“Here, take this with you.”

Autumn took it from his hands and held it close to her chest for a moment. She stuffed it into the pocket of her sweatshirt. She made her way over to a bookcase and skimmed it.

“Looking for something to read? Should we continue the book we already started?”

She turned back to Lupin and nodded. He made his way over to his desk and pulled a book out of one of the drawers. The cover read ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard.’ He sat down in the large chair behind the desk. Lupin opened the book to a page with a folded corner.

“Remus?”

He looked up. She made her way around the desk and began to climb into his lap. At first he seemed a little hesitant, but after a moment he adjusted so they both could be comfortable. He wrapped his arms around her and held the book out in front of them. His voice was soft and comforting as he read. Autumn snuggled up close and rested her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and let her imagination run wild with the words he spoke. Before long she felt herself start to drift off to sleep. Lupin noticed and marked the page they were on before setting the book down on the desk. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her forehead. He too closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Autumn awoke with a startle having realized she was still in Lupin’s office. He began to stir when he felt her sit up.

“Lupin, its nearly four in the morning.”

“I guess we both let time get away from us.” He said covering his mouth as he let out a yawn.

Autumn stared at him for a long moment.

“I’m going to miss you, Remus.”

He looked deep into her eyes and smiled.

“I’ll miss you too, but you’ll be back here before you know it.”

He cupped her cheek in his hand. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his. It was the first time she felt him truly relax into the kiss. His other hand pressed firmly against her upper back bringing her a tad bit closer as they kissed a little more deeply. Autumn couldn’t help it as she smiled into the kiss. Lupin let out a soft chuckle.

“You should get back to your dormitory before people start to wake up.”

“Okay.”

She stood from his lap and stretched. Lupin reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Enjoy your holiday, Autumn. I’ll see you when you get back.”

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

“Enjoy yours as well, Remus.”

 

A few days later, Autumn was at the train station waiting to be picked up by her father.

“Send me an owl if you need anything at all, okay? I’ll try to convinced my dad to let you stay with us for a few days, too.”

“Okay, I love you.” Neville gave his cousin a quick hug.

“I love you, too. Don’t let Gran get you down.” Autumn gently ruffled his hair.

He smiled and slowly made his way over to an angry looking old woman. She gave Autumn an icy stare before grabbing Neville by the arm and escorting him away.

“Autumn!” An older man waved at her from the other side of the platform.

“Dad!” She ran over to him and he picked her up in a tight squeeze, swinging her around.

“I’ve missed you, how are you?” He set her back down.

“I’m good, how are you?”

They began to make their way out of the train station.

“Work has been a little stressful, but I’m alright otherwise.”

“How’s mum?” Autumn asked hesitantly.

“She’s well. I think she’s really looking forward to you being home for the holidays.”

“Really?”

Her dad loaded her trunk into the car.

“Yeah, she’s been talking about it non-stop for the past few days.”

Autumn sat quietly for a while, absorbed by her thoughts.

“Is there anyone at school you’d like to buy a Christmas gift for? I mean, besides Neville.” Her father’s voice pierced through her day dreams.

“Oh, I guess I hadn’t really thought about it,” She squinted, concentrating hard for a moment, “Ah, I know. Well...what kind of budget are we working with?”

Her father laughed.

“Why, what kind of expense are we talking about?”

“Well, I know it might seem strange, but one of my teachers...he’s been out of work for a while and doesn’t have a lot of money. I over heard him telling one of the other teachers that his back was hurting because of the old mattress he has to sleep on.”  Autumn felt bad lying to her dad, but she could never explain to him that she knew about the mattress because she had fallen asleep on it before.

“So you’re saying you want to buy one of your teachers a new mattress for Christmas…?”

“Can we?” She gave her father a pleading look.

He glanced at her for a moment before fixing his eyes on the road again. He wiped his hand across his face, seemingly conflicted about the request.

“Okay, but it’s coming out of your savings.”

Autumn let out a scream of excitement. Her father became visibly shaken.

“Thank you thank you thank you!!”


	8. A New Year Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Christmas break is over and Autumn has returned to school. How did the break affect her relationship with Lupin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the first half of this a few days ago and now I'm editing a little tipsy so if i miss anything please let me know <3

Autumn’s Christmas break went smoothly. To her suprise her mother was calm and polite the whole time, which ended up putting Autumn slightly on edge. She got to spend a few days with Neville, which also gave him a few days without their grandmother. She took him into the city for coffee and shopping. Leaving her dad again was bittersweet, but on the train ride back to Hogwarts, she couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Lupin again.

After returning to the castle, she made her way up to his office. It was still early enough in the day that she didn’t need to worry about sneaking around with Harry’s invisibility cloak. She softly knocked on his office door.

“Come in.” She heard Lupin say from within the office.

She opened the door to find him sitting at his desk.

“Autumn, I was wondering when I would see you. Best leave the door open while the castle is awake.”

“How was your holiday, Professor?”

“It was nice, quiet,” He got up from the desk and moved closer to her, beginning to whisper, “Hell of a full moon at the end of the month though.”

She frowned up at him.

“No worries, dear. I’m used to it by now.”

She sighed and forced a smile. Autumn could tell deep down he was tired. Being a werewolf wasn’t easy, especially having to hide it from everyone.

“By the way, I received the strangest thing by post over the holiday.”

“Oh?” Autumn looked at him quizzically.

He pointed to the side of the room where his old mattress used to be. In it's place stood a much nicer and newer looking mattress with a bed frame. She smiled brightly.

“Would you happen to know who the sender was? I think I own them a special thanks.” He said jokingly.

“I haven’t the faintest idea who could have sent you such a thing,” She winked at him playfully, “But I do have a gift for you.”

“Autumn...” He began to protest.

She pulled her rucksack off her shoulders and produced a blank book. Then she pulled a second one out. She handed one over to him. He skimmed through the pages to find they were blank.

“A journal?”

“Oh no, let me show you how it works.”

Autumn made her way to Lupin’s desk and grabbed a quill. She opened her journal to the first page and scribbled something inside.

“Now open yours.” She said turning to him.

He opened his journal and the words “Hello, Remus” appeared on the page in Autumn’s handwriting.

“How did you do that?” He said dumbfounded.

Autumn giggled.

“My father helped me over break to enchant these journals so we can communicate more freely without the use of owls.”

He smiled proudly at her and placed the journal on his desk.

“Thank you, I’ll put it to good use. Can you come back tonight? After everyone is asleep?” He whispered.

“I’ll try.”

Just then Dumbledore appeared in the doorway.

“Ah Lupin, I was wondering if I could get your advice on something.”

“Yes, of course, Albus.”

Autumn made her way out of the office, as the two men followed, and went the opposite way down the corridor.

 

Later that night, after much convincing, Autumn was able to borrow the cloak and return to Lupin’s office.

“There you are.” He pulled her into the office and kissed her lovingly.

“I missed you, a lot.”

“I missed you, too” Lupin replied.

“Do you like your new bed, honestly?” She smiled up at him hopefully.

“I truly do, but you didn’t have to go through the trouble. I can’t imagine it was cheap.”

“I don’t care about the expense, I just wanted to buy you something nice. You deserve it.”

He gave her a defeated smile and pulled her close to his chest.

“You’re too kind, Autumn.”

She snuggled against him.

“Ah, before I forget, I have something for you.”

He released her from his embrace and made his way around the desk. He grabbed something from the top drawer before returning to her.

“With the help of a friend, I made this for you. Merry Christmas.”

He held up his hand and from it dangled a necklace. However it had a rather peculiar charm on it. It appeared to be glass, it was round and dark. But inside it seemed to be glowing, with stars and a moon.

“Remus, it’s beautiful.”

Autumn reached out to take a closer look at it.

“It’s enchanted so that the moon will always show you the current phase. That way you’ll always remember when the next full moon is coming.”

She took it from him and looked deep into his eyes.

“It’s amazing, thank you.”

“Here, let me help you put it on.”

She turned around, unclasping the necklace, and holding out the two ends for him. He delicately took them from her and re-clasped it while she held her hair out of the way. When he was finished he gently let go and placed a soft kiss upon the back of her neck. Autumn looked down in wonder at her new necklace. Lupin wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“You really like it?” He asked.

“Of course, I do. It’s perfect.”

She placed her hands on top of his and eased some of her weight into him. He kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes, and the two of them began to sway back and forth.

“So I’ve been doing some thinking. When is your birthday?”

Autumn opened her eyes and craned her head back to look up at him.

“June 29th.”

“Perfect. The school year ends a short while before that. Perhaps you can come stay with me this summer since you'll be seventeen.”

“Really?” She said excitedly.

He smiled warmly down at her.

“Yes, really.”

She spun around and stood on her toes, pressing her mouth hard against his. She felt his lips part and her tongue darted playfully into his mouth. He pulled her closer, pressing one of his hands into her lower back while the other one tangled into her hair. Autumn clung to the chest of his cardigan, trying to keep her balance. She could feel him finally letting down his walls.

They stayed tangled up like this for several minutes before Lupin finally pulled away.

“It’s getting late, love.”

Autumn nuzzled her nose into his neck.

“I know, I’ll get going.”

He kissed her lips one last time.

“Sweet dreams.”

She smiled at him as she made her way over to the cloak.

“Good night, Remus.”

“Good night.”


	9. Werewolf in Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school year came and went, but will it end with a bang?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a long chapter and a very big time jump. I wasn't sure how to fill the gap between this chapter and the last, so I basically glossed over it. I hope it doesn't seem too off putting. I also didn't know how to break this one up into two smaller chapters, so it's a giant chunk. Please enjoy and thanks for reading <3

The remainder of the school year flew by in a flash. Autumn had continued sneaking down to Lupin’s office as often as she could manage. They took advantage of the journals Autumn had enchanted as well. It made it easier to talk whenever they had to be a part. Most nights Autumn would lay in bed and write about all the things she was excited for over the summer. Lupin seemed equally excited. On the nights of the full moon, Autumn didn’t sleep much. She laid awake worrying about Lupin. He had explained to her that Snape had been brewing him a potion that helped him through the transformation. But she knew he’d still transform every time. There was nothing more she wanted than to be able to comfort him during those times.

One night towards the end of the school year, Autumn was sitting alone in the Viaduct Courtyard. The sun was still out, but it was starting to set, casting a deep orange glow across the courtyard. Autumn knew some of her friends had gone down to see Hagrid before his hippogriff, Buckbeak, was sentenced to be executed. She opted out of going and was waiting for them to return. She was reading a popular muggle book called “Insomnia” while she waited.

As the sun continued to set, Autumn grew more and more worried about her friends. She thought for sure they would have returned by now, since students aren’t meant to wander the grounds after dark. That’s when she heard shouts off in the distance. She dropped her book and hurriedly make her way out of the courtyard. She stood towards the edge, further from the castle, and listened. She heard more yelling and the creaking sounds of the Whomping Willow. She began to sprint towards the tree, remembering to stop short of it’s reach. The tree was going wild, whipping it’s limbs around. There was no one in sight, when suddenly Lupin appeared behind her.

“Get back to the castle, Autumn.” He said in a stern voice.

She spun on her heel, shaken from his unexpected appearance.

“Remus, what’s going on?” She said in a concerned voice.

“It doesn’t concern you, please for your own safety, just go.” He made his way towards the tree, finding a fallen branch and pressing a spot on the trunk that made the tree stop moving.

“Answer me, Remus!” She called out in a demanding voice.

But with a final look back at her, he slipped under the trunk of the tree, and disappeared.

Autumn stood there stunned. Before she regained her composure, Professor Snape came charging down towards the Whomping Willow.

“Longbottom! What on earth are you doing out here?” His voice filled with anger.

“I...” She couldn’t find the words, but pointed towards the tree.

"You need to get back to the castle immediately before I deduct points from Gryffindor."

Snape quickly found the branch Lupin had used and also slipped under the tree.

Autumn had no idea what was going on and she didn’t feel it was worth the risk to find out. She waited a few meters from the tree, hoping everyone would reappear soon.

The sun had completely set and it was rather dark by the time everyone had started to emerge from the base of the willow. One by one they made their way towards Autumn.

“I told you to go back to the castle!” Lupin said in a concerned tone.

“I wanted to make sure everyone was okay first.” Her eyes wandered, noticing he was shackled to a small, round man, who was also shackled to Ron.

She looked up at Lupin with complete confusion.

“It’s a long story.” He said letting out an exhausted sigh.

Suddenly the clouds in the sky shifted, and Autumn glanced up.

“Oh no...” The words barely made it out of her mouth.

The bright, round, full moon hung high in the night sky. She looked up at Lupin who became statuesque, devoid of movement. She looked back at the others standing some distance behind him. They were whispering amongst themselves and Autumn could see the look of fear in their eyes.

“Remus?” She said quietly.

But it was too late and his transformation had begun.

“Autumn, watch out!” Hermione shouted, but she was frozen.

Right before her eyes, Lupin fully transformed into a werewolf. It was like nothing Autumn had ever seen before, she was in complete shock. For a moment, she thought perhaps she was dreaming. Before she could snap back to reality and remove herself from harm’s way, a sharp pain shot through her face as she fell hard to the ground. Next thing she knew a large, black dog had leaped onto the werewolf. 

Suddenly chaos broke lose, as the man shackled to Ron dove for Lupin’s wand, and Harry disarmed him. And then he was gone, in a poof. A pile of empty clothes laid on the ground where the man had stood and a small rat ran off into the distance. And then the dog was chasing the werewolf down into the forest. A loud yelp rang through the night and Harry was off towards the forest with Hermione on his tail.

Autumn sat in the grass, pained and confused. She felt a warm, substance dripping off her chin. That’s when she realized what had happened. Lupin, in full werewolf form, had lunged at her. One of his nails had caught her bottom lip and tore through her flesh. Her hand cupped the gash as she felt the blood start to seep through her fingers.

 

If only she had checked her pendant before making her way down to investigate. It was the first time since Lupin had gifted it to her that she had forgotten to keep track of the full moon. She felt guilty, as if this all could have been prevented had she paid attention.

Autumn finally mustered the strength to make her way back to the castle, her hand still cupping her injured face. She made her way to the hospital wing, where she gave Madam Pomfrey quite a shock. She ushered Autumn to a cot where she handed her a towel and examined the cut. Autumn dabbed at her face with the towel. Her blood quickly soaked through it.

“The cut might be too deep for this, but we’ll give it a shot,” Madam Pomfrey raised her wand and uttered, “ _Episkey_.”

Autumn could feel the gash slowly start to close up. Madam Pomfrey stood there watching as it healed.

“You’re going to have a nasty scar, dear. What exactly happened to you?”

Autumn explained to her the events of the night, leaving out the part about Lupin being a werewolf, and Madam Pomfrey hurried out of the wing to go find Dumbledore. Autumn laid back on the cot and began to quietly sob. She felt sick to her stomach wondering if Lupin and her friends were going to be okay.

Seemingly overwhelmed with exhaustion, Autumn eventually fell into a deep sleep. She later awoken to the sounds of Dumbledore, Snape, and the Minister of Magic bursting into the hospital wing. Snape was shouting about Sirius Black being missing from his cell in the castle tower. He accused Harry of being a part of the break out, but Dumbledore calmly insisted how impossible that would be. Autumn laid motionless in her cot, pretending to still be asleep.

When things finally quieted down, Autumn sat up. She saw across from her that Ron was laying in a cot. His leg was bandaged and Harry and Hermione were by his side. Autumn timidly waved at them; They waved back before returning to their whispered conversation. Madam Pomfrey gave Autumn the okay to leave, and she dejectedly made her way up to the Gryffindor tower. The events of the night were swimming in her mind and her head began to ache. She rubbed her forehead as she entered the common room.

“What happened!” Neville shouted in surprised as he rushed over to Autumn.

“It’s been a long night, Neville.” She replied as she threw herself onto the couch.

“But you’re face! Are you okay?” He sat next to her, a look of sincere worry on his face.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll explain everything later, I promise,” She closed her eyes and rubbed them, “I just need to rest right now.”

“Okay,” He patted her shoulder gently, “There’s just been a lot of gossip going around the castle.”

“Like what?” She said glancing over at him.

He looked around before lowering his voice into a whisper, “That Sirius Black was in the castle and escaped from the tower cell. And that Professor Lupin is a werewolf, and that he may have attacked some students last night.”

Neville’s eyes went wide.

“Is...is that what happened to your face?”

“No, Neville...” She let out a long sigh.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment.

“It’s a lot to explain right now. My brain still hasn’t fully comprehended what happened and I just need some time to straighten it all out. I’ll explain everything to you on the train ride home.”

“Okay.” Was all he said before he left the couch.

Autumn sat there for a long time, starring absent mindedly at nothing. Did the whole school finally find out about Lupin’s condition? Or would it just remain a rumor that no one took seriously? Her mind felt like it was going a million meters per second.

 

Autumn skipped dinner than night and went straight up to her dormitory. She got out her journal and wrote to Lupin.

“ _Please tell me you’re okay.”_

She waited patiently for his reply. After a few minutes a response began to appear.

“ _Yes, I’m alright. Are you okay? I don’t remember much of what happened after exiting the Whomping Willow.”_

“ _I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m just glad you’re okay.”_

“ _Just a few bumps and bruises, but nothing worse than usual.”_ Autumn could picture him laughing it off.

“ _Will you please explain to me what all happened last night?”_

Lupin gave a full detailed account about what took place in the Shrieking Shack that night. Autumn was astounded by the information.

“ _So Sirius was innocent this whole time?”_

“ _Yes, I wish I would have known sooner myself.”_

“ _I heard he escaped again. That’s a good thing, right?”_

“ _Well, hopefully, as long as he can find a place to hide out. It’s getting late, and I’m still recovering from last night. I will see you soon, my dear. Good night.”  
_

_“Good night, Remus.”_

Autumn closed the book and held it close to her chest.

 

The next morning she made her way down to the common room, which was abuzz with much chatter from her house mates.

“What’s going on?” Autumn asked as she approached Neville.

“Oh, well,” He hesitated, “Turns out it wasn’t just a rumor. Professor Lupin IS a werewolf. And I heard he’s resigning.”

“What!?” Autumn began to hustled towards the potrait.

“Autumn, where are you going?” Neville called out after her.

“I have to take care of something.” Her words barely made it to Neville’s ears as she was already half way out of the room.

Autumn sprinted down the corridors, brushing past students as she made her way up to Lupin’s office. She couldn’t hold back her tears as she burst through the door. They felt hot on her face. Lupin was packing up his stuff while Harry stood there looking shocked at Autumn’s entrance.

“Harry, would you mind giving Miss Longbottom and I a moment?”

Harry nodded and made his way out of the room.

“Autumn...” Lupin started, but before he could finish she had thrown herself at him.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, sobbing hard into his chest.

“Shh, there there.” He cooed quietly in her ear as he massaged her back. His other hand cradled the back of her head.

“You can’t!” She shouted through muffled cries.

“Everything will be alright, I promise.” He tried to reassure her.

“No, Remus,” She pulled away and tried to stifle her sobs, “You...you need this job. What...what will you do?”

Another wave emotion overcame her and the tears continued to overwhelm her. Lupin pulled her back into a tight embrace.

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

Autumn stepped away, wiping the tears from her cheeks on the sleeve of her shirt. She took in several deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. When she looked up at Lupin, he was staring intently at her face. He stepped towards her, taking her chin in his hand. He ran is thumb along the still healing gash, that started at her bottom lip and ended just underneath her jaw, on the right side of her face.

“Did I...” A look of horror washed over his face.

Autumn grabbed his wrist softly and kissed the palm of his hand.

“You didn’t mean to. It’s okay.”

She could see the glisten of tears form in his eyes, but he quickly choked them back.

“It’s not okay, Autumn. It’s unacceptable. I’m not safe to be around.”

“But you are with the Wolfsbane Potion, right?”

Lupin sighed and turned away from her.

“Yes, but Snape is one of the only people I know who can brew it properly. And he was only making it at Dumbledore’s request.”

“Well then I’ll convince him to teach me how to make it.”

Lupin turned on his heel to face her again.

“That’s insane. It’s a very complicated potion and I doubt Snape will be so kind as to teach you.”

“I’ll find away. We’ll make this work, Remus. I’m not giving up on you.”

A sadness washed over his face, and then a small glimmer of hope replaced it. He tilted her chin up towards him and reached down to kiss her wound gently.

“I can’t possibly imagine what you see in an old, ragged man like me. You have a kind soul, Autumn.”

He smiled tenderly at her. She returned the smile.

“I have to finish packing, but I promise, after your birthday you can still come stay with me.”

“I’ll miss you, Remus.”

She stood on her toes to hug him tightly.

“I’ll miss you, too,” He said softly, “But your birthday is only a few weeks away, and then we’ll be together again.”

He returned her hug, gripping her with a sense of longing, before releasing her. He flourished his wand and his various luggage and belongings packed themselves.

“Good bye, Autumn.”

“Good bye, Remus.”

She felt tears start to form in her eyes again, but she wiped them away before making her way back to the common room.


	10. Happy Birthday pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer break has officially begun and Autumn's birthday is almost here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you all for being patient! I cut this chapter into two parts because I felt like it was starting to get too long. I'll post the other half later in the week. Much love <3

On the train ride back to London, Autumn and Neville sat by themselves. Autumn had just finished explaining everything from the school year to Neville. She waited with bated breath to see how he would respond.

“So you knew Lupin was a werewolf before everyone else?”

“Yes.”

“And you guys are...together? Like a couple?”

“Yes.”

He shrugged his shoulders and gave her a small smile.

“I’m sure there are people who wont' support you, but as long as you’re happy, then I’m happy for you.”

Autumn let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh Neville.”

She pulled him into a tight hug.

“You really are the best cousin a girl could ask for.”

Neville let out a nervous giggle.

“Thanks, Autumn. You’re pretty swell, too.”

They sat quietly for a while. Neville finally piped up.

“Are you going to tell your parents?”

She thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Not yet, I don’t think. My dad would probably be understanding, but mum…definitely not.”

“That’s a good point. What are you going to tell them when you stay with Lupin this summer?”

“Probably just tell them I’m staying with a friend. In a few more days I’ll be seventeen and they won’t have much say over where I go.”

Neville nodded thoughtfully.

“And what about the scar on your lip?”

Autumn had completely forgot. Her hand instinctively went to her face and traced along the scar.

“I guess...I don’t know. Broom flying accident? Incantation gone wrong?”

“Hmm, your mum would probably buy it since she’s a muggle, but do you think your dad will?”

“Guess we’ll find out.” She shrugged.

They spent the rest of the train ride reflecting on the school year and their hopes for the next year. Neville left the compartment for a bit to visit his other friends. Autumn stared out the window thinking about her upcoming birthday and getting to spend it with Lupin.

 

 

The week seemed to crawl by so slowly. Autumn ticked off the minutes until her birthday. Her and Lupin continued to communicate in their usual fashion, using the enchanted journals. The slower time went, the more Autumn ached to be near him again.

Finally the morning of her birthday arrived. Her father burst through her bedroom door, blowing on a small toy horn.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” He shouted.

“Daaaddd.” Autumn responded, exhausted and annoyed.

“Come on, you only become an adult once!” He pulled the blankets off of her.

“Ughh.” She groaned loudly, rubbing her eyes and slowly sitting up.

Her father grabbed her by the hands and pulled her up. He wrapped her into a tight embrace.

“I love you, kiddo. Where did the time go?”

“I love you, too, dad.” Autumn let out a soft chuckle.

“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her through the house and down to the kitchen.

On the kitchen island was a small, round cake. In red icing it said “Happy 17th, Autumn.”

“Aw, dad.” Autumn felt her eyes get misty.

Her father sang “Happy Birthday” to her and then the two of them sat down to have some cake.

“Where’s mum?”

“She’s still sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb her.”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about something. I know today is my birthday, but I was hoping it would be okay if I went to my friend’s and stayed there for some of the summer.”

“You’re planning on leaving today?”

“Yes, if that’s alright.”

“Of course, sweetheart. Your mum might not understand, but in the wizarding world, you’re an adult now. You still have to finish school, but you can do whatever you want this summer.”

Autumn smiled brightly at her dad. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder.

 

Later that day, Autumn had finished packing her trunk and brought it downstairs.

“Where are you going?” Her mother emerged from the kitchen.

“I talked to dad this morning. I’m going to be staying with a friend for part of the summer.”

“And what about me?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if I want to spend time with my daughter on her birthday? And during her summer break?”

“I’ll be back in about three weeks.”

“No, absolutely not.” Her mother’s tone grew stern.

“My friend is expecting me.”

“I don’t care. Tell them you can’t come.”

“I’m an adult now, mother. I’m going.”

“You’re not an adult in this house. You’re only seventeen.”

“Oh yeah?”

A devilish smile appeared on Autumn’s face. Her mother narrowed her eyes.

“What are you planning? Don’t you dare pull some magic on me.”

With the handle of her trunk in one hand, Autumn waved to her mother with the other hand before disapparating on the spot.

She landed with a thud in the soft grass. Her trunk was at her side and her knees were stained green. Up the hill was a small house. Suddenly the door of the house opened and Lupin appeared. His eyes scanned the hill until he saw Autumn towards the bottom.

“Autumn!” He called out as he made his way down to her.

She excitedly jumped into his arms.

“I missed you!” She aggressively kissed his cheek.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“I missed you, too, dear.”

He set her back down. Lupin flourished his wand and Autumn’s trunk began floating. The two of them walked up the hill, hand in hand.

“You’re a little early, is everything okay?”

“My mother and I were fighting. I hope I didn’t disrupt your plans.”

“No, of course, not. What were you guys fighting about?”

They made their way inside the house and Lupin dropped the chest by the bed.

“About whether or not I was an adult. In the muggle world you’re not considered any adult until you’re eighteen.”

“Hm, interesting. Well I’m sorry you had a fight.”

Lupin pulled Autumn into another hug. His hand tilted her chin up so he could look deep into her eyes.

“On that note. Happy birthday.”

He leaned down to kiss her deeply.

“Thank you.” She felt her face flush as she pulled away.

Lupin smiled warmly at her before walking over to the kitchen. As Autumn stood there, she looked around. The house was basically one large room, aside from the bathroom and a small study. The bed was on the far right wall with a night stand and a dresser. On the far left side of the room was the kitchen. There stood a fridge, a stove, and counters with cabinets. In the middle of the room was a round dining room table with two wooden chairs. A large, plush chair sat between the doors of the bathroom and the study.

A delicious smell suddenly filled Autumn’s nose.

“What are you cooking?” She asked as she made her way over to the stove.

“I put together a stew for dinner.”

“It smells amazing.”

Lupin smiled down at her as he set the wooden spoon in his hand aside.

“There might also be a cake.”

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”

“Yes, of course, I did. Today is a very important day.”


	11. Happy Birthday pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's small, but I finally got the second part of the birthday chapter done. Hopefully going forward it will make it a little bit easier. I don't know why this threw me for such a loop but I just could not figure out where I wanted it to go.

Remus and Autumn spent a good chunk of their afternoon curled up together in the large armchair, while Remus read _Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires_ to her. After some time a rumble came from Autumn’s stomach. Remus smiled and closed the book.

“Why don’t we take a break and eat some stew?”  
  
“Yes please!” Autumn jumped up excitedly.

She took her place at the dining room table and Remus served the two of them large bowls of stew.

“Mmm...this is delicious, Remus!”

“Thank you, I grew the vegetables myself and the neighbor down the road was kind enough to give me some beef for cheap.”  
  
Autumn frowned.

“What’s wrong, love?”  
  
“Have you been able to find any work?”

“Not yet, but I’m still looking. Don’t worry about me, let’s just enjoy the rest of your birthday.”  
  
They finished their stew some time later. Autumn grabbed the empty bowls and took them to the sink.

“You don’t have to wash those.”  
  
“No, I insist.” She responded.

Remus got up from the table and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“You’re the birthday girl, go sit.”

She sighed loudly before making her way back to the table.

“Now close your eyes.” Remus said with a huge smile.

Autumn smiled back, obeying his command. She heard some shuffling in the kitchen.

“Can I open them yet?”

“No, not yet.”

A moment later she felt Remus close to her.

“Okay, now.”  
  
When she opened her eyes, there was a small, round cake on the table with a single burning candle.

“Happy birthday, Autumn.” Remus said as he bent down and kissed her head.

“Remus...”

“Make a wish, dear.”

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She couldn’t imagine needing anything more in that moment. When she was ready she opened her eyes and blew out the candles. Remus chuckled softly to himself and took the burnt out candles off the cake.

“Do you want a big piece or a small one?” He asked putting the tip of the knife into the cake.

Autumn rubbed her stomach.

“I think just a small one for now. That stew was very filling.”

They both happily ate their cake in silence.

“So what did you wish for?” Remus asked as he began clearing the table.

“I can’t tell you silly or it won’t come true!”

“Ah, that’s a very good point.”

After Remus finished cleaning up, they both made their way back to the chair. Remus continued to read to Autumn into the late evening. It wasn’t until she felt Remus shifting his weight that she realized she had fallen asleep their in his arms.

“Don’t worry, love, you don’t have to move.”  
  
She rubbed her eyes groggily.

“Shouldn’t we move to the bed?” Her voice was hoarse with sleep.

“Only if you want to. I was going to stay here in the chair.”

“To sleep?”

She turned in his lap to look into his eyes. She had known he was still having a hard time being completely open with her. Despite the fact that she was now of age, she could see he struggled with their age difference.

“I just wanted to give you space, make sure you were comfortable.”

“I’d sleep better if you slept next to me.”

There was a warmth in his eyes Autumn had be longing to see.

“If you’re okay with it.”

Autumn stood and grabbed Remus’ hands pulling him up with her. She made her way into the small bathroom, changing into her pajamas, and brushing her teeth. When she came back into the main room, Remus had changed into his pajamas as well, and was rearranging the blankets on the bed.

“I apologize, I hope this enough to keep you warm.”  
  
“That’s what I have you for.” She stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek.

He smiled and placed his hand on her cheek. His thumb rubbed across her face for a moment, before he turned to allow her to crawl into bed. He laid down next to her and she instantly nuzzled up against him. He hesitated for a moment, before putting his arms around her and pulling her close. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.  
  
“Happy birthday, Autumn. I hope it was everything you hoped for.”

“It was Remus, you made it perfect.”

She could feel him smile against her forehead. Before long they both fell peacefully asleep.


	12. The Big Reveal

The next few weeks flew by for Autumn. Staying with her boyfriend was truly amazing. She knew she had another year of school, but getting to be alone with Remus made her feel more like an adult. Remus still maintained they needed to keep their relationship secret until Autumn graduated. They spent most of their time in the house. Reading, singing, dancing, whatever whim took over them. Their relationship was still innocent. Over the course of the couple weeks, Remus had gotten more relaxed with Autumn. He would steal kisses from her when they were cuddled up reading. He held her close every night while they slept.

It was finally the day before the next full moon. Autumn was busy getting her stuff together and dreading having to deal with her mother.

“It’ll be good for you to try and patch things up with her though.” Remus mused while washing their lunch dishes.

“Maybe, but she’s not very forgiving.”

“Hm...”

“Plus I just don’t know what to tell her. I don’t think I can explain to her this relationship and have her understand. She’s still under the delusion I’m a part of the muggle world, so in her eyes, I’m still not an adult.”

“And me being twice your age probably isn’t a good selling point?”

Autumn turned to look at him from across the room and he chuckled. She started laughing as well.

“No, probably not.”

She finished packing and made her way to Remus. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. He set the dish he was drying down and turned, pulling her close into his chest.

“One way or another it’ll all work out, love.”  
  
He placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. She cooed and nuzzle into him.  
  
“Yeah, I hope so.”

 

Later that afternoon, Remus walked Autumn outside, her trunk in hand.

“I’ll see you in a few days?”  
  
“Yes, send me an owl when you’re feeling better. I think I’m going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron.”

“Are you sure?” Remus reached out and placed his large hand on her soft cheek.

“Yes. I’m going to ask my dad to meet me there so I can explain the situation to him. I think he might just understand.”

His thumb caressed her cheek.

“Okay,” He smiled down at her, “I’ll see you again soon.”  
  
She leaned forward, stepping up on to her toes to reach his lips. He wrapped his arms around her, supporting her and pulling her closer. His lips met hers with a longing desire she had never felt before. His warm breath tickled her face as he reluctantly pulled away.

“I’ll see you soon.” She said as she stepped away.

She smiled and waved before disapparating on the spot. Her landing was a bit more smooth this time when she apparated outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Autumn made her way inside and found an empty table in a quiet corner of the tavern. She found a scrap piece of paper in her pocket and scribbled a quick message to her father. She gave it to the barkeep who sent it off with an owl for her.

She waited patiently at the table and after about twenty minutes her father appeared through the door.

“Dad!” She said waving him over.

He walked quickly towards her and swept to her up into a tight embrace.

“How are you, lovebug? How has it been at your friends?”

He motioned for her to sit.

“I’m good, how are you, dad? It’s been really nice. That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“I’m good, although your mother hasn’t stopped nagging me since you took off the way you did.”

“I’m sorry, you don’t deserve that.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it, dear. It’s nothing I can’t handle,” he smiled confidently, “So what exactly is it you wanted to talk about?”

“Well, the friend I’ve been staying with, they’re...more...than just a friend.” She hesitated on those words, not sure how he would react.

He stayed quiet. A look of concentration washed over his face. He rubbed his chin and then looked into her eyes.  
  
“I had suspected that much, although I wasn’t entirely sure.” He finally said.

“Really?”

“Yes,” he paused momentarily, “but I wanted to give you your space and not push any boundaries. I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”  
  
Autumn smiled at her dad, before her face fell.

“What is it, lovebug?”

“Well, there’s a reason I was afraid to tell you.”

“Oh?” He arched his eyebrows up with interest.  
  
“He was a few years young than you...but you might know him from school.”

Her father took a sharp breath in after the words left her mouth. She also took in a deep breath, bracing herself.

“Who?” He finally inquired.  
  
“Remus...Lupin.”

He squinted at her for a moment. She could tell he was searching his memories for that name.

“Ah, yes. The quiet boy that followed James Potter around...They were first years when I was in my last year.”

Autumn nodded.

“So...exactly how old does that make him?”

Autumn cleared her throat and looked down at the table.

“Thirty…four…”

Her father’s eyes widened before he quickly composed himself. He stared down at the table before looking back up to her. She was afraid he wasn’t going to support her.

“How…,” He started, looking deep into her eyes, “How...does he treat you?”

“What?” She said with surprise.  
  
“Is he good to you? Does he treat you well?"

Autumn could feel the sudden surge of emotion over come her. She rubbed at her moist eyes.

“Yes, dad. Better than I could ever hope for.”  
  
He nodded, staying silent. He studied her face and reached across the table. He took her hand into his and rubbed it soothingly.

“Then that’s all that matters to me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As a father, you’ll always be my little girl, and I’ll always want the best for you. But you’re an adult now, and as long as he makes you happy, then I’m happy.”

Her emotions took her over and the tears began to fall freely. She jumped from the table and wrapped her arms around her father.

“I love you, dad.”  
  
“I love you, too, bug.” He said softly chuckling.

Autumn’s father paid for her room at the Cauldron and took her trunk home with him.

“I’ll sneak it in while your mother is sleeping and swap out the dirty stuff.” He had said before leaving.

Autumn grabbed a quick dinner before making her way up to her room.  
  


The next morning her father returned with a trunk full of fresh clothes.

“She didn’t even notice, or… if she did, she didn’t say anything.”

Autumn smiled softly at her father.

“Thanks, dad.”

“Of course,” He said reaching out and gave her a loving hug, “You know I love you no matter what, right?”

“Yeah, dad, I love you, too.” Autumn giggled to herself.

Her father placed a kiss on top of her head.

“Take care of yourself, okay, kiddo?”

“I will.”


End file.
